Abandoned Communities
Since the Middle Ages thousands of towns, villages, and other human communities in Great Britain have been abandoned.
Some places have been abandoned at a single point in time, while others have been gradually depopulated until there was no-one left. In some cases the forces of nature have made a major contribution to the abandonment, but more often economic and social changes have caused people to move away, or the decision of a powerful individual, organisation, or government has compelled inhabitants to leave.
This website commemorates all abandoned communities. But we will focus on a number of specific places that have been deserted at various times, for various reasons. In each case we will consider what type of community it was, the events leading up to its abandonment, and what happened to the inhabitants after they moved away. We will also be interested in what you are likely to find if you visit the place today, and in this respect you will notice that the observations and experiences of the author will often be recorded.
As well as visiting selected places there will be opportunities to pursue a number of themes. One theme will be what you might call the psychology of abandonment. The experiences and emotions of the people who are obliged to leave a place, what it is like to be in a position of power in which you can evict people from their homes, what may happen when people migrate from one place to another and how they may be received by others.
Another theme will be the poetry of deserted places. The classic poem on this subject is Goldsmith’s “The Deserted Village”, but in addition it is surprising how often the places we will consider have inspired poems before, during, and after their abandonment.
We will also have a section in which paintings depicting abandoned communities will be displayed. When J M W Turner visited Dunwich, for example, there was just enough of it left to make it the subject of one of his pictures.
Readers are invited to get in touch. With comments, queries, and suggestions. This website will be revised from time to time, and you may be able to influence the direction in which it goes.
Some places have been abandoned at a single point in time, while others have been gradually depopulated until there was no-
This website commemorates all abandoned communities. But we will focus on a number of specific places that have been deserted at various times, for various reasons. In each case we will consider what type of community it was, the events leading up to its abandonment, and what happened to the inhabitants after they moved away. We will also be interested in what you are likely to find if you visit the place today, and in this respect you will notice that the observations and experiences of the author will often be recorded.
As well as visiting selected places there will be opportunities to pursue a number of themes. One theme will be what you might call the psychology of abandonment. The experiences and emotions of the people who are obliged to leave a place, what it is like to be in a position of power in which you can evict people from their homes, what may happen when people migrate from one place to another and how they may be received by others.
Another theme will be the poetry of deserted places. The classic poem on this subject is Goldsmith’s “The Deserted Village”, but in addition it is surprising how often the places we will consider have inspired poems before, during, and after their abandonment.
We will also have a section in which paintings depicting abandoned communities will be displayed. When J M W Turner visited Dunwich, for example, there was just enough of it left to make it the subject of one of his pictures.
Readers are invited to get in touch. With comments, queries, and suggestions. This website will be revised from time to time, and you may be able to influence the direction in which it goes.
Stephen Fisk
15 June 2008
15 June 2008
A farmhouse and a military tent on Mynydd Epynt
Clicking on a picture will usually give you an enlarged version of it.